


Mermaid For Each Other

by Star55



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Girl Direction, Mermaids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:48:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22686502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star55/pseuds/Star55
Summary: The last person that Harry expects to swim into her dance class on an afternoon is none other than Princess Louis Tomlinson.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 10
Kudos: 50





	Mermaid For Each Other

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Leeargh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leeargh/gifts).



> This one is for Leah - Happy 25th Birthday, Leah! I love you so much. ♥
> 
> This has not been betaed by anyone other than myself, so if you find any mistakes, please, kindly, point them out. ♥

The last person that Harry expects to swim into her dance class on an afternoon is none other than Princess Louis Tomlinson – heir to Tomlinson throne.

She’s positive that her shock is evident on her face, but she quickly plasters a smile on her face and looks down at Louis’ little twin sisters, who are looking around at everything with wide eyes.

“Hello!” she greets them, swimming over. “Welcome to A-Bun-Dance. I’m Harry. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Hi, Harry!” the twins say in unison.

She smiles down at them, taking in their happy expressions and brightly coloured tails. 

“Hi,” Princess Louis says. “I’m Louis, this is Daisy, and Phoebe.”

“Hi,” Harry says again, feeling immediately silly. “Is this your first dance class?”

The twins nod. She’s glad they have different coloured tails so that she can tell them apart – she isn’t sure she’d be able to, otherwise. Phoebe’s tail is a beautiful golden colour, and Daisy’s is bright orange. 

Her other students stare a little at the royalty before them, but Harry is sure to treat the twins like any other mermaids. There are only twelve mermaids in her class, all six years old. It’s her favourite age to teach because they’re all so happy and have the best time, which makes for so much fun.

It’s a surprise to her that Louis stays for the entire class, her cobalt blue tail catching Harry’s gaze more often than it should.

Since it’s the first dance lesson for all of her students, they do some warm ups to stretch their tails, wave their fins, and, of course, turning upside down. That is always a hit, especially with the little boy mermaids that come to her class – anything for a laugh. 

Seeing their little happy faces is what makes Harry love teaching them so much. She isn’t exactly the _best_ dancer in the sea, but she loves it, and she loves kids, so it’s a win/win in her mind.

“Keep practicing when you’re at home,” she says at the end of the lesson. “I’m really proud of everyone today – you’ll be swimming circles around me in no time!”

She gets a chorus of “Bye, Miss Harry!” as her students leave. 

The princesses wait until last, which is surprising to Harry – she figured they would be among the first to leave.

“I love your tail,” Daisy says, looking up at Harry with an excited look on her face. “It’s so pink!”

“Thank you,” Harry replies, smiling easily at her. “You both have _gorgeous_ tails. Well, all three of you,” she adds, not wanting Louis to feel left out.

To her surprise, Louis’ cheeks turn a little pink. It makes Harry’s fin tingle.

“Keep practicing, girls, I’ll see you next week!”

“Bye, Miss Harry!” Daisy and Phoebe say, waving as they swim away. 

Harry watches them with a smile. When she looks up, she sees Louis staring at her before disappearing after her sisters. Well, that was certainly odd.

~*~

The next dance class, also sees Louis with her sisters. Harry is a little surprised. She thought for certain that Louis wouldn’t be back. She tries not to let the gorgeous face of the princess distract her as she teaches her class.

Ever since she was a little mermaid, Harry had been enamoured by Princess Louis. Louis is two years older than Harry, but the first time she saw Louis, she just wanted to be her friend. 

She thinks now that Louis is bringing her sisters to her class, that she might finally have the chance to do that.

Laughter fills Harry’s ears as she watches half of her students flip upside down and bob where they are. She can’t help but smile. 

“And then we twirl!” Harry says, demonstrating with a twirl of her own. Her fin flicks out at the end, creating a stream of bubbles behind it. 

All twelve of her students do the same twirl – some giggling at the bubbles that are undoubtedly tickling their fins. She brings her arms out to the sides and waits for everyone else to follow, and then tips sideways, doing a sidewards flip. More laughter comes from her students. 

“And that’s it for today,” she says once everyone is upright, bobbing in place. “Excellent work, everyone. Keep practicing at home, and I’ll see you all next week!”

A few of her students come up and hug her, and she gives them big hugs back, waving as they swim away to their waiting family member.

Again, the princesses are the last to leave. 

“I’ve been practicing loads, Miss Harry!” Phoebe says excitedly. “Watch!”

Harry watches her carefully as she does a perfect twirl, finishing with a big smile on her face. It’s hard not to feel pride blooming in her chest. Not to be left out, Daisy gets Harry’s attention and does a backwards flip, almost going over too many times. But she giggles happily, so Harry knows that she’s not disappointed in herself, at least.

“What about you, Princess Louis?” Harry asks, feeling bold, her gaze going to Louis. “Have you been practicing your dance moves?”

For some reason, Daisy and Phoebe giggle madly at this. Louis’ cheeks go pink, and she shakes her head. 

“I’m not much of a dancer,” she says.

“Maybe you’d like a private lesson?” 

Harry has _no idea_ what made her say that, but she did, and she doesn’t regret it.

“I’ll think about it,” Louis replies. She gives Harry a small smile and then takes her sister’s hands in her own, swimming off.

Before they disappear completely, Louis looks over her shoulder at Harry. Harry’s fin tingles.

~*~

The next time that Harry bumps into Princess Louis is when she’s collecting shells. She’s just swimming about, picking up ones that she thinks would look good in her hair. She has a little collection of colourful ones already, and she looks up, seeing the princess swimming closer to her.

“Princess Louis!” she says. “Hello.”

“Please, just call me Louis.”

Harry nods, though she has no intention of calling that to her face. “How are you?” 

“I’m good,” Louis replies. “The twins have been talking non-stop about you. They’ve badgered me into agreeing to dance lessons.”

“That’s wonderful,” Harry says, smiling. She can just imagine Daisy and Phoebe annoying Louis until she agreed. 

Louis’ lips quirk up at the sides. “It is if you don’t have as many sisters as I do.”

“I’ve only got the one, and I’m the youngest,” Harry replies. 

Louis expression softens and then she nods once. “Right, so when are you free for that lesson?” 

Harry pauses, thinking over what she has to do and when she’s free. “Are you free in an hour?” 

The slightly bewildered look on Louis’ face is worth it, Harry thinks. Eventually, Louis nods. 

“Yeah, I am,” she replies. “Thanks for fitting me in.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Harry replies. Her scales tingle when Louis’ gaze settles on her face for a few beats longer than she ever has before. “I’ll see you soon.” She swims off before she has the chance to tell Louis that she’ll start their lesson right then and there. Before she gets too far away, Harry looks over her shoulder to see Louis staring after her. She can’t help but smile as she swims away.

~*~

Harry was under the impression that a princess should know how to dance.

Having Louis here with her proves that she is so _very, very wrong_. 

Not that Louis isn’t trying her hardest, of course. But somehow, she isn’t connecting the moves her body is making to what Harry is showing, and instructing her to do.

“The twins make it look so easy,” Louis grumbles for the sixth time since she arrived. “Alright, let’s go again.”

Harry bites back a smile. She instructs Louis to follow her movements, and Louis does for the first few, but then inevitably loses the rhythm.

“Here,” Harry says. She rests her hands on Louis’ waist and Louis goes completely still. “You’re very rigid. Just… relax a little. Take a deep breath and just move.”

Her nodding is also rigid, Harry notes. They keep moving to the music that Harry’s sea friends are making – she loves that they sit on the edge of the wall, creating beautiful music for them to dance to.

Finally, Louis loosens up enough that she isn’t ramrod straight in Harry’s hold. They move together, doing the simple actions that Harry teaches her students. 

Seeing the proud smile bloom on Louis’ face when she does the entire routine without flaw makes Harry’s fin tingle in that all too familiar way when she’s around Louis. Sure they’re dancing a _lot_ slower than Harry usually does, but it’s that they did it without error that makes her, and Louis, happy.

“Want to go again?” Harry asks.

Louis nods enthusiastically. “Yes.” 

The music starts again, and they start the dance, going all the way through to the end without error once more. It’s still slower than Harry usually dances, but the look on Louis’ face when she’s finished is worth it, she thinks.

“You’re really good,” Harry says.

“Thanks,” Louis replies. “You’re an excellent teacher.”

Harry’s scales tingle pleasantly at the compliment. “I can keep teaching you privately, if you like? Once a week if you’re free?”

Louis nods. “I’m free,” she replies. 

“Alright,” Harry says. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Can we do it again? Just once more. I want to make the twins proud.”

“Of course,” Harry easily agrees. She nods to her friends and the music starts once more.

Laughter bubbles in her throat when Louis winks at her and purposefully flips upside down at the wrong time. The expression on her face when she ends up facing Harry properly leaves Harry’s sides hurting from the laughter. She shakes her head and swims closer to Louis.

“I’m sure the twins will _love_ that addition,” Harry says.

Louis shrugs and smiles. “I like to make them laugh. You have a beautiful laugh, too.”

Harry stills and stares at Louis. 

“I’d like to hear it more, if I can? Maybe on a date?”

“You don’t beat around the coral, do you?” 

Louis shakes her head. “I try not to. But if you don’t want to, that’s okay. Just–”

“I want to!” Harry interjects. “Very much so.”

The most beautiful smile graces Louis’ face. “I’m so relieved. I thought for sure you’d say no.”

Harry shakes her head. “No, I very much say yes.”

“Thank you,” Louis says. “For teaching me how to dance. And for agreeing to go on a date with me.” She shuffles closer to Harry. “You make my scales tingle in the best way,” she adds softly.

The water between them feels warm as Harry nods. “You make mine tingle, too,” she admits.

“I like your tail,” Louis says, echoing what her twin sisters said during their first lesson. “I think pink and blue go really well together, don’t you?”

Harry nods. “I do.”

There’s a few moments where neither of them say anything, the water between them growing warmer. Then, Louis puts her hands on Harry’s waist and the music starts up again just as Louis presses her lips to Harry’s in the softest kiss she’s ever experienced.

Every single one of Harry’s scales tingles pleasantly, her fin brushing against Louis’ own as they shuffle closer together.

“You’re very cute,” Louis says when they part. “I’m looking forward to our date.”

“Me too,” Harry agrees with a smile. “Can we have a couple more kisses, first? You have very lovely lips.”

Louis smiles brightly at her and presses their lips together once more. Harry wonders if every kiss is going to be like this. She sure hopes that it will.

**Author's Note:**

> hi again. if you've got this far, i hope you enjoyed this fic. ♥  
> please leave me a comment if you liked it. i love comments so very much a lot. ♥  
> criticism, constructive or not, is not welcome.
> 
> rebloggable post on my [tumblr](https://star55.tumblr.com/post/190798211636)


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